The present invention relates in general to exercise equipment as well as a method for providing muscle conditioning. The invention more particularly relates to a muscle toning kit and method that enables a user to tone his or her muscles, without tending to cause unwanted and undesired muscle strain or soreness.
Exercise equipment for conditioning and toning muscles has existed in a variety of forms. The majority of such equipment for most part has been large, bulky and expensive except for garment type items. For example, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,559,654; 3,759,510; 5,033,123; 5,109,546; 5,465,428, 5,842,859; 5,897,423; and 5,708,976.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,510 describes an exercise garment including a helmet, jacket, armlets, gloves, belt, shorts, thigh leggings, calf leggings and boots with these components being detachably connected together for the use of a total composite garment or for the use separately in various combinations, each component of the total garment having exterior pockets which may be filled or partially filled with a particular weight material of various densities. This exercise garment is cumbersome and should be worn on the outside, not underneath the clothes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,123 relates to a garment that comprises a pair of trousers and optionally a solid upper jacket to form a combination suit. This garment is worn in such activities as lumbering and sporting where consider body bending is involved. These trousers and jacket are worn on the outside, not as an undergarment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,546 relates to an exercise suit with form fitting pants and pullover top made of stretchable material having reinforcing segments with helically wound leg and arm resistance bands attached integrally to the suit.
While such garments may have been satisfactory for certain situations they generally could not be casually worn while performing normal daily activities to achieve satisfactory muscle toning benefits.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved exercise garment and kit, which is comfortable to wear and which provides good muscle toning without causing unwanted and undesired muscle strain or soreness.
In one embodiment an exercise kit includes a lightweight foundation article of clothing having at least a pair of elongated pockets. An elongated bent elastomeric urethane member is secured within desired ones of the pockets and provides resistance when deformed and no resistance when restored resiliently to its original shape. The method of using the kit includes performing physical activities that includes movement of at least some portion of the body sufficient to cause the urethane member to deform and to provide sufficient resistance to the movement to tone the muscles of the user experiencing such resistance.
In another embodiment an exercise kit includes at least one elongated polyurethane memory member having a distal end pair of slots and a proximate end pair of slots. A pair of securing straps conformed to fit within respective ones of the slots helps secure the memory member in a position extending longitudinally along a limb portion of a user. The memory member is resilient and provides resistance when deformed and no resistance when restored to an original shape. The method of using the kit includes looping the straps through the slot pairs and then fastening them at the upper and lower portions of the limb of a user. The user then performs physical activities including movement of at least some portion of the limb sufficient to cause the memory member to deform and to provide sufficient resistance to the movement to tone the muscles of the user experiencing such resistance.
In still yet another embodiment of the present invention an exercise garment includes a sheet of elastomeric urethane fixed to a stretchable foundation fabric, such as Lycra or Spandex to provide sufficient resistance to body movement to help facilitate blood circulation due to the muscle resistance provided by the garment.
In another embodiment of the present invention an exercise kit includes a lightweight foundation article of clothing having at least a pair of elongated pockets. An elongated bent memory member composed of a shape memory alloy selected from the group of Nickel Titanium, Copper Nickel Titanium and other steel alloys, is secured within desired ones of the pockets and provides resistance when deformed and no resistance when restored resiliently to its original shape. The method of using the kit includes performing physical activities that include movement of at least some portion of the body sufficient to cause the shape memory member to deform and to provide sufficient resistance to the movement to tone the muscles of the user experiencing such resistance.